Should Medicare Drop The '3-Day Rule' For Nursing Home Coverage?

When it comes to nursing home care costs, one source that a person is sometimes
able to turn to for help in covering these costs beyond their own resources
are government benefits. Among the government programs that sometimes
provide individuals with help when it comes to nursing home care expenses
are Medicare and Medicaid. An important thing to note though is that these
programs have a great many eligibility rules.

One of the rules Medicare has regarding eligibility for nursing home coverage
is the "three-day rule," which states that a senior must have
been admitted to a hospital for no fewer than three days to be eligible
for such coverage. Under this rule, individuals who were merely under
observation at a hospital and not admitted to the hospital do not qualify
for coverage.

This rule has proven controversial and has caused many people to be ineligible
for nursing home coverage under Medicare, particularly in recent years.

Currently, pilot programs are being undertaken at some hospitals under
which exemptions from this rule are being allowed. The pilots are aimed
at looking into whether not having the three-day rule in place leads to
any overall cost reductions or care improvements.

One wonders what results the pilots will yield and if a full elimination
of the three-day rule will ultimately be considered. Do you think the
three-day rule should be eliminated?

Nursing home care can be an incredibly expensive thing and planning for
the costs of such care can be very important during the development of
one's estate plan. The complexity of government rules regarding benefits
for nursing home care, along with several other things, can make planning
for these costs quite complex. However, with the help of an estate planning
attorney, a person may be able to develop a plan for addressing future
nursing home care costs that carefully takes into account their specific
circumstances.

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